Everything we’ve been warning about for years here at The BRAD BLOG — and that both the Obama and McCain campaigns continue to ignore — seems to have been neatly wrapped up in a report by John Zarella of CNN in a report on his personal experience during early voting in Florida…
It ultimately took Zarrella 3 hours and 15 minutes to get to the head of the line. “There are two machines that actually print out the ballots,” Zarrella explained, “and both of the machines went down for a period of about 45 minutes.”
Technical problems were also noted elsewhere in Florida on Monday. In Jacksonville, some of the vote scanning machines malfunctioned, and seven out of the fifteen had to be replaced because they were rejecting ballots. At Miami Beach City Hall, it was reported that “some of the computers used to check in voters weren’t working, though there were no problems with the optical scan machines used to count ballots.”
His full report, with video, is at RAW STORY…
If you think that’s bad, just wait for the Election Day meltdown. Why the Obama campaign and DNC are not raising holy hell — and demanding paper ballots for every voter, in every precinct, in every state, along with back-up paper plans for the e-registration computers (as untested and unreliable as the e-voting machines, and made by the same failed private companies) — I still cannot tell you. They have the most to lose, but still seem to be in a complete state of denial about these problems.
Steve Rosenfeld at AlterNet also has details on the sorely lacking Democratic strategy for dealing with voting machine problems.
At best, it can be said that Obama and the DNC are (again) bringing a dull butter knife to a gun fight. Minus the knife.
http://blog.dispatch.com/politi...ma_comme.shtml
“I would just like to know what you can say to reassure us that this election will not be rigged or stolen?” a woman asked Obama at an economic forum at Kent State University’s Tuscarawas campus in New Philadelphia.
“Well, I tell you what, it helps in Ohio that we’ve got Democrats in charge of the machines,” Obama replied — adding quickly that he is from Chicago, where Democrats have been accused of rigging votes in the past.
[Ed Note: I’ve been Googling this quote, and aside from blog posts linking it or talking about it, there seems only to be this op-ed piece which was based on an op-ed piece in a paper whose server isn’t responding to this link. In other words: the source is suspicious as hell. And I think if he actually said this he would have been joking. I mean, think about it. The guy isn’t brain dead, whatever you think of him. –99]
I think Obama’s Executive Order #1 should institute a national ballot standard, mandate HAND counting of all ballots, establish a national registration standard (unambiguous and interpretation-proof by pesky SOS’s)…and declare Election Day a national holiday so everyone can go and vote without missing work.
Everyone has the right to vote.
Every vote must be counted.
Period.
What a damn scam these voting machines are. I can’t believe we as Americans are letting them sneak by with this. I say we start burning the damn things.
McCain would just be another US figurehead falsely representing the American commonwealth, where in fact he would be representing Daddy Bush, and his blokes, and there Corporate Free-Trading New World Order. Notice October 20, 2008 news about “W” pushing forward for more free-trade agreements. Funny how all this is happening on his old George’s watch. It seems almost as if he just looks the other way. Then acts sorry and how he is going to find a solution, NOT!
Free Trade for American’s = Bend over America! = more junk from other countries in Walmart = loss of American Jobs = Big Fat Bank & Insurance Contolling CEOs shitting down our economy’s throat as they get rewarded for the fine job of weakening Americans a little more Just as our sons & daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins, fathers, and mothers are dumped over in IRAQ and Afghanistan, over Bushit Ideologies, as they might be losing their homes.
What a freaking mess, that we Americans have let ourselves become so ‘bamboozled’! I think we better get Mad and wake up fast, vote for Obama/Biden, and lock up our borders a ‘lil more, don’t support N.W.O. free trade, Boycott the Banks, Walmart and the other big fat Global Institutions that sell dominantly foreign goods that destroy our economy, small businesses, and take jobs away from Americans, support and create our own technology and markets, trade mostly amongst ourselves with a little Overseas trade, boycott computer voting machines that don’t have a paper trail, and kick the ‘MFs’ that aren’t good for this Country to the fuck’in Curb! Time to buck up and clean up. Once we’ve done this then we can reconstruct and develop new Fair trade agreements with other countries.
Or else embrace the fact that many American’s might end up living in ‘Shantytowns’ again or worse, which is not far off. It happened once it can happen again, don’t fool yourselves. And besides, if you want to take over a country gorilla style what do you do? You weaken their military defense by sending them off to a long war, and you obliterate their economy, and spread and rule them by fear. Kinda sounds familiar eh? This shit didn’t happen by accident… it was planned and it’s happening for a reason.
I know I sound mad! Because I am, I am American, Native American. And I’ll be damned if I’m gonna just stand around and let these assholes sell us into Global Domination and slavery. My Brother, My Sister, My Friends, Americans it’s time to wake up and get MAD, don’t fear, fight back for your right to live a decent life. Pay attention! The real war is the us against the tyrannical N.W.O Globalizational Free trade elitists that don’t give a damn about you or me or the poor starving masses around the World. Damn! It is the year 2008 BC, time to evolve up to times and make this World more of a Utopia like it can be and quit allowing a stupid piece of paper or plastic control our lives and supress technology. Fuck Scarcity.. there can be plenty for all to have a good life, good health, food, water, home, and education. And Live truly civilized.
Oh.. and by the way. Don’t worry about oil anymore.. As of right now.. it is only ‘black Shit’ in the ground. Their is a new fuel that is way cheaper, richer than hydrogen, burns clean (actually emits oxygen, water vapor, and very little CO2), and is safer than fossil fuels or any other type gas. You can run it in “gas/natural gas hybrid” cars (and they run great on it), you can fuel generators, vaporize waste and waste water to make the fuel, and heat and power your homes, and even cook with it. It was discovered here in America by accident in late 1800’s first by Hilliary Eldridge, who got the first patent in 1898 (look him up). Then a better system was re-patented by William H. Richardson Jr., then again by Prof. Ruggero Maria Santilli (who actually took it from Richardson to claim as his own, but did define it more and improved it very little). It’s been dubbed by different names such as Aquafuel, and MagneGas. It’s the real thing! If you don’t believe just look it up and search the names and patents. Then you will probably figure out how to make it yourself. It is easy to make. And now it is being developed and sold to many corporations, governments, and countries overseas by R.M. Santilli, but only the waste vaporization units which also create the gas as fuel. Which we have since improved, so watch out Santilli, be good, and do the right thing, we are watching, or we will make your item defunked and old news.
This is what we need to make the World a little better for all. No more Oil”¦ no more noxious gases in the air and water.. no more landfills of sewage”¦ cheap fuel ..inexpensive power off the grid. Hmm.. wonder what is gonna become of the electric companies and oil companies, and the World Globalization Banks, who I guarantee you are surprised and sketching plans to control it right this moment, but they will not win. Because you now have this Info and by it you will see how to easily make it. The Voltage, The current, the arc from the two carbons under the water, forming the gas as it bubbles up, that is a new type of gas (not hydrogen). As you will soon see, this changes the game.
The energy we’ve all been waiting for is here, given to us by God from a lighting Arc across a wrecked coal train within the lake in 1895, as a gift from a messenger to fare through these times, to have the power to nourish poor nations, to turn a dry patch of land into an oasis of fruitful bounty, to liberate us from the evil World Controllers, who want us to buy into their false God (the Gold God, the Oil, the Dollar)! We just need to embrace this gift. And learn to respect and appreciate each other and our Home, this gleaming watery globe we call Earth. Goodluck!
Mahpia Sha Gleska “Red Ski” Lakota Sioux
As a poll worker in 2006 I saw many persons bring in their absentee ballots. We did count them and I am planning to do this year. Benefits are many, once you get the form, it means the registration is all fine. Then, secondly, your vote is on paper AND you can photocopy for your own receipt before bringing in.
7:45 AM PDT caller ‘Wendy’ into the Stephanie Miller Show is a poll worker in Cook County, Florida. She had some big bully trying to pass himself off as an ‘election judge’ badgering her to get rid of literature that was per the laws there far enough from the door. He threatened her with the police. She retorted with what she knew were her rights. He left and she continued to investigate. No one else there knew him other than by his first name ‘Ken’. Then they said, ‘he’s new.’ – Who knows, thank goodness we have a centralized place to report these incidents right here on Bradblog.com
Just a word about that long Robert Wexler letter, apparently he doesn’t know that provisional ballots really do not get counted, at least not where I was a poll worker. We were told that we had to tell people not at their own polling place that they did have the option of using a provisional ballot. We were NOT allowed to tell them that it most likely would not be counted. I was told that they were bundled but sat in purgatory in the event that if the vote had not been decided with the other ballots, then perhaps the provisionals were but that in effect, these really were not going to count at all- and we were not able to tell the voter this. I felt horrible a number of times as they looked me in the eye depending on me and I tried…with my eyes to tell them No- get out of here and find your real polling place! but had I said that allowed, I would have been asked to leave.
[Ed Note: Please do not double post comments, especially long ones. –99]
he-he, Ken Kornfield from Raw Story?
Another good piece over at Saloon:
I have the same thought as you, Brad. Apparently, four years of investigative reporting on the part of bradblog isn’t enough to get the attention of the DNC. With radio shows, tv appearances, and undoubtedly numerous individuals within the Obama campaign stopping by to read the blog, no one following this election closely can claim ignorance to the problems with electronic voting machines. With all that money they’ve raised, I find it difficult to believe that not a dollar of it is being used to investigate vote suppression via the voting machine…
Or maybe, someone there is doing something about it, its just not at the level where it makes CNN headlines. Maybe the strategy is more covert. There are other battlegrounds besides the blogosphere and/or the news outlets. In my mind, I can see where it is more advantageous to wage this battle out of sight, with no apparent trace back to the DNC.
The right wingers do not have a monopoly on people who play “hardball”.
The Republicans have a track record of accusing their opponents of what they themselves are about to do. It’s a Rove thing. Puts the opponent on the defensive and makes it lots harder to have accusations made the other way taken seriously (at least by the loyal dupes) because it all becomes so much “he said, she said…” So it was no accident that McCain, in the third debate, accused Acorn of trying to “destroy the fabric of democracy” in the last debate.
That’s what the Republicans are up to. If you notice, it’s already shredded almost beyond recognition.
That’s all. But hey, nothing to see here, eh MSM?
Maybe Obama is just another John Kerry who doesn’t care about the real election process, and won’t challenge GOP stealing. Thanks for diatribe from Red Ski form Dakota Sioux – I agree with your anger.
Marzi ~ Believe you me John “Horse Face” Kerry is paying the price for his invigilance of election fraud in polls Perhaps his legacy as well.
I will not pull the lever for him this time …
Zarilla is full of shit. Three hours to vote on a machine that never counts all foobar? It only took him three minutes. It only takes me three minutes.. heh heh. Does he have evidence it took three hours? A three hour video? Or a three minute video? heh heh. What are these CNN pukes talking about. Electronics are not being exploited to screw up the election. Zarilla would have had that under an electron microscope destructively reverse engineering the logic in the chips at the doping level? Machines don’t break, they don’t have backdoors, or malware code, how many fucking pieces of broken machine did Zarilla pick up off the floor? Zarilla’s a Fucking liar. What with a name like Zarilla must be a voter fraud name right? Should have been purged off the rolls, and causing all that interference with cameras and public oversight.
Electronic voting machines are good.
Electronic tabulation devices are flawless.
Optical scanners never make mistakes.
Memory cards never have virii.
Power never fluctuates.
RF can’t interfere with these protected boxen.
Oh wait.. For a second there I thought I was a FASCIST.
an analogy:
dogs are known for their fierce loyalty, loving spirit & a blind forgiveness of their master’s mistakes. even a dog that has been treated unfairly will still cling to a cruel handler. a good dog, after much abuse will still lie down at his master’s feet- grateful. sadder still, a beaten down dog becomes “grateful to be grateful”.
if all dogs could choose their care givers based on trust & a love of mutual ideals then those creatures could live out their lives in peace. all the while knowing that their well being was looked after by smart, hard working watchers who had their best interests at heart.
they say that dog is man’s best friend, but there are many more sayings about underdogs rising to the challenge. a happening occurs when the primal, survival aspect of the brain wakes up & says “no more!”
so (in the words of my 11 yr. old nephew)
wazzup, Dog?
Some of you people are hurting my brain.
Oneguy #1 and 99,
The NYPost printed a story Sept. 3, 2008 with that “quote” —
NY Post Article
So – did Rick Davis relay that “quote” from Obama? We know all about the New York Post. This is a question for the Obama Campaign Headquarters to FactCheck on.
No, well then, it was as part of a joke, that I saw him do somewhere, and these bozos just tweaked it a little to make it sound ominous. Typical.
I’m trying to find video of the quote – it may be in this speech [with question & answer] Obama gave at Kent State “Women and the Economy”
Kent State Sept. 3, 2008
Video time – about 1 hr.
Good speech!
Found it!!
Listen to Obama take the question and respond with the “quote” at 34:23.
Kent State Sept. 3, 2008
What Obama is doing: Lawyers Needed Voter Protection
Click this link to join: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/vpcvol2
Per Thom Hartmann show:
Any problems with election fraud? Call 866 our-vote; see http://www.866ourvote.org
Also- just sitting around, want to help us cancel smears on the net?
click here http://smearbusters.org
and get comic book to bring to polls at http://www.stealbackyourvote.com
Lastly, keep yourself up to date on all these matters by listening to progressive radio live on the internet or in podcasts at the listen now tab on http:www.green960.com
It has to be changed. We all need to contact our congressmen and GET RID OF MACHINES. This system has been going on way too long! Our Canadian friend stated that they use paper ballots and hand count the ballots with observers from each candidate. They have results by 11pm that day. We have horrible, hackable, unreliable machines and it will probably take days or weeks….HAVEN’T WE LEARNED…Let’s stop complaining and DO SOMETHING!!!!